Inside the Chalk

The Cleveland Indians are surging and have added two more weapons to their arsenal, Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig. The Indians clobbered the Houston Astros yesterday, 10-4, and will go for the series win when the two clubs wrap up a 3-game set tonight at Progressive Field. It won’t be a walk in the park for Cleveland because Houston will have Gerrit Cole on the hill. Cole is 12-5, with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The Indians will send Danny Salazar to the rubber, who will be making his season debut after recovering from a shoulder injury, and if he is healthy, Salazar can deliver. Cleveland has won 8 of their last 10 at home and will be a big dog tonight. Consider the Tribe.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Minnesota Twins have smacked 206 homers on the season and should add to that number tonight when they go for a series win over the host Miami Marlins. The Twins have won 2 straight and 4 of their last 5. They will have José Berríos on the hill and he has been delivering. Berríos is 9-5, with an ERA of only 2.94 and a 1.14 WHIP. The Marlins counter with Sandy Alcántara. The lone Marlin All-Star is not pitching like one. He is 4-9 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Over his last 3, Alcántara is winless with a 6.35 ERA and Miami is 1-5 in his last 6 home starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA TWINS

The Atlanta Braves are starting to feel the heat from the Washington Nationals with only a 4.5 game lead over them for the NL East top spot. Atlanta fell to the Nats yesterday, 6-3, in the first game of a 3-game set. They need to bounce back today and they will. Julio Teherán will be on the hill for the Braves. In 118.1 innings of work, he is 5-7 with a 3.42 ERA. The Braves are 4-1 in Teherán’s last 5 road starts and they are 5-2 in his last 7 turns against the Nationals. Washington’s ace, Max Scherzer, is on the IL so they have reached down to AA-Harrisburg and recalled Erick Fedde. Fedde’s numbers are respectable, at 1-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 50.1 innings of work, but the Braves bats will be too much for the young right-hander. Atlanta gets it done.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ATLANTA BRAVES

The Pittsburgh Pirates are spiraling out of control and it won’t get any easier for them tonight when they head to the Great American Ball Park for a meeting with Sonny Gray and the Cincinnati Reds. Jordan Lyles is expected to start for the Bucs and this guy should not be in the Bigs because he’s awful. Lyles is 5-7 with a 5.36 ERA. Over his last 3 turns, his ERA is 14.62 and the Pirates are winless in his last 8 starts. That’s not good. Sonny Gray will be tapping the rubber for the Red Machine and he has been delivering. Over his last 3 turns, Gray has a 1.89 ERA and the Reds are 5-1 in his last 6 starts at home.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CINCINNATI REDS

The Atlanta Braves will go for a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in an early one today at Citizens Bank Park, but not so fast. Aaron Nola will be tapping the rubber for the Phils. Nola is 8 -2 with a 3.64 ERA and has been a Brave killer in his career. He is 9-3 lifetime against Atlanta, with a 2.26 ERA, and is a perfect 2-0 this year against them with a 2.95 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Now that’s domination. The Braves will send Kevin Gausman to the hill and he is no match to a flame thrower like Nola. Gausman is 3-5, with a 5.71 ERA, and over his last 3 turns his ERA has soared to 6.28. Atlanta will be without two key players today, shortstop Dansby Swanson and right fielder Nick Markakis. Harper and company get it done.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The pick of the day today is the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals and this is why. Mike Clevinger will be tapping the rubber for the Indians. Over his last 3, he is 2-0, with a 2.50 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP. The Royals will counter with Glenn Sparkman. Over his last 3, Sparkman is 1-2, with a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.35 WHIP. Cleveland is 6-1 in Clevinger’s last 7 starts against the Royals and the Indians are 5-0 in their last 5 at Kauffman Stadium. Take the Tribe.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CLEVELAND INDIANS

There are a lot of teams in the hunt for a NL Wild Card birth and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the thick of it. Tonight they will have their ace on the hill, Zack Greinke, when they travel to south Florida to open a 4-game series with the lowly Miami Marlins. Greinke is throwing flames as usual. He is 10-4, with a 2.93 ERA and a stingy WHIP of only 0.95. The Marlins will send Sandy Alcántara to the hill and his numbers are not good. He is just 4-9, with a 4.25 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and he has struggled at Marlins Park this year going 2-6 with a 4.19 ERA. Greinke has never lost to the Marlins in his career, with a record of 7-0, a 3.19 ERA, and the Diamondbacks have won 7 of the last 8 meetings with the Marlins. Arizona needs to capitalize on inferior teams like Miami if that want to see the post-season and they know it. Consider the Snakes.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS